How to use SoundFonts in LMMS

Load a SoundFont with Sf2 Player

1. In the sidebar on the left, open Instrument Plugins and drag Sf2 Player into the Song Editor. Dropping it on an existing track replaces that track's instrument.
2. Click the new track's name to open its instrument window.
3. Click the folder button (Open SoundFont file) and choose your .sf2. You can also drag an .sf2 straight from LMMS's file browser into the Song Editor, which makes an Sf2 Player track with it loaded.
4. Pick a sound with the Bank and Patch numbers, or click Choose patch to see every bank and preset by name.
5. Open the Piano Roll and play or draw notes. LMMS saves the SoundFont's location and the patch with your project.

Each Sf2 Player track plays one patch. For a second instrument from the same SoundFont, open the track's Actions menu, choose Clone this track, and pick another patch on the copy.

Need a SoundFont to start with? The best free SoundFonts lists ten free banks and what each licence allows.

Gain, reverb, chorus and drums

• Gain sets the track's level. Many SoundFonts are quiet, so it's normal to turn this up.
• Reverb and chorus each have an on button and four knobs: room size, damping, width and level for reverb; voices, level, speed and depth for chorus. They work on presets whose SoundFont sends signal to them, which most General MIDI banks do.
• Drums in a General MIDI SoundFont live in bank 128. Set Bank to 128 and Patch to 0 for the standard kit.

Sf2 Player is a MIDI-style instrument, so the envelope and LFO tab in the instrument window stays empty. Shape the sound with the SoundFont's own settings or with effects on the mixer channel instead.

Play MIDI files with a default SoundFont

1. Open Edit → Settings, go to Paths, and set Default SF2 to a General MIDI SoundFont such as GeneralUser GS.
2. Choose Project → Import and pick a .mid file.
3. LMMS makes one Sf2 Player track per MIDI channel, loaded with your default SoundFont and set to the patch the file asks for.

If LMMS warns that setup is incomplete, or the imported tracks are silent, the default SoundFont isn't set, or the file has moved since you set it.

SFZ files and SoundFont plugins in LMMS

Sf2 Player only reads SoundFont files, and LMMS's plugin instrument, VeSTige, only loads VST2 plugins. Most current SoundFont plugins, simpleSF2 included, are VST3. The way in is Carla, a free, open-source plugin host. Once Carla is installed, LMMS shows two extra instruments, Carla Rack and Carla Patchbay, that run Carla inside your project. This works on Linux, and on Windows with the 1.3 alpha builds.

1. Install Carla. On Linux it's in most distributions' package managers (for example sudo apt install carla). On Windows, download it from kx.studio.
2. Install simpleSF2. The Linux .deb puts it in /usr/lib/vst3, the VST3-only zip goes in ~/.vst3, and the Windows installer uses C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3.
3. In LMMS, drag Carla Rack from Instrument Plugins into the Song Editor, open it and click Show GUI.
4. In Carla, click Add Plugin, then Refresh to scan your plugin folders, and add simpleSF2 from the VST3 list.
5. Open simpleSF2's window from Carla, click Import SF2/SFZ and load your file. Notes from the LMMS track's Piano Roll now play it.

Carla can also load an SF2 or SFZ file by itself, without a plugin, if you only need to play it. A plugin adds a preset browser and settings that are saved with the project.

On a Mac, LMMS doesn't host VST or Audio Unit plugins, so Sf2 Player is the way to play SoundFonts there. If you outgrow it, the GarageBand and REAPER guides cover two other routes.

If it doesn't work

• Sf2 Player isn't in the list. Some Linux distribution packages are built without it. The official AppImage from lmms.io includes it.
• No sound. Check that a patch is chosen, turn up Gain, and make sure the track isn't routed to a muted mixer channel.
• A big SoundFont is slow or crashes LMMS. Very large banks can take a while to load, and some have crashed Sf2 Player. Try a smaller bank, or the 1.3 alpha, which loads SoundFonts faster.
• Carla Rack is missing. LMMS only lists it once Carla is installed. Restart LMMS after installing Carla.
• The LMMS manual's Sf2 Player page covers every control. Still stuck with simpleSF2? Email support@simplesoundbank.com.

Common questions

Does LMMS support SoundFonts?

Yes. LMMS comes with Sf2 Player, an instrument that loads SF2 SoundFonts on Windows, macOS and Linux. The 1.3 alpha builds also load compressed SF3 files.

Can LMMS play SFZ files?

Not with its own instruments. On Linux, and on Windows with the 1.3 alpha, you can load an SFZ file in Carla Rack, either directly or through a SoundFont plugin that reads SFZ.

Can I use VST3 plugins in LMMS?

Not directly. LMMS's VeSTige instrument loads VST2 plugins only. Carla Rack, which runs inside LMMS once Carla is installed, can host VST3 plugins.

What's the best SoundFont for LMMS?

For MIDI files and general use, a General MIDI bank such as GeneralUser GS covers every instrument in one file. Set it as the default SoundFont in LMMS's settings so imported MIDI files use it.

Using a different DAW?

• SoundFonts in FL Studio
• SoundFonts in Reaper
• SoundFonts in Ableton Live
• SoundFonts in Logic Pro
• SoundFonts in GarageBand
• SoundFonts in Cubase
• SoundFonts in Studio One
• Video game SoundFonts
• All SoundFont guides